Gandengan
Gandengan is a yearly event held in Paterosari to commemorate the deceased. It was named after Dyah Gandeng, the daughter of Nyai Hideung, who was the adversary of Ki Buyut Sari, known as a legendary figure in Paterosari. Etymology Gandengan literally means 'hitch', 'holding hands', or 'being side by side', hence the custom of holding hands with family, friends, and loved ones. This can also denote the bottles which are 'hitched' onto the branches. However, the origins of the tradition attribute the name to Dyah Gandeng (gandeng meaning 'noisy' in Sundanese, noting that her crying and praying was so loud that it was heard by those from the spirit world). Origins Ki Buyut Sari and Nyai Hideung When Kuningan was under the Galuh Kingdom (or the Sunda Kingdom, when the two were united), the land was known as the woods where Ki Buyut Sari, a hermit skilled in the magical arts, lived and meditated. Because his physical body was vulnerable when he was meditating, the Paksi Maung (later known as the symbol of Paterosari), a creature with the head of an eagle and the body of a leopard, protected him as his guardian. One day, an adversary of Ki Buyut Sari, Nyai Hideung, came to assassinate him. The Paksi Maung protected him, but Nyai Hideung turned out to be more powerful and killed the Paksi Maung. Awoken from the dying screeches of his guardian, he became engaged in a battle with Nyai Hideung. The spirits of the woods were not happy with the violence and the blood shed, so the spirits materialized and sent both Ki Buyut Sari and Nyai Hideung into the realm of spirits, never to return. The wilderness has since been abandoned. Dyah Gandeng Nyai Hideung's daughter, Dyah Gandeng, came to look for her mother some years after the battle. The local villagers pointed to Ki Buyut Sari's place of meditation and she stayed there while crying and praying for her mother to return. She fell asleep and she was woken up by the Paksi Maung, which took her to the spirit world, where her mother resides with Ki Buyut Sari in peace. Nyai Hideung tells her daughter that they will never see each other again, but promise her that they can still communicate by leaving a message in a vessel hung from the trees. This tradition became known as Gandengan to honor Dyah Gandeng, in which people leave messages written on a piece of paper placed in bottles made of earthenware throughout the path that leads to Ki Buyut Sari's place of meditation in Caraka Badiran, up the hills of Taman Gagak. Who started this tradition and when was this tradition started is not known, but it's evident that it had been done by the locals by the time the De Haven Family settled in Paterosari in the 1860s regardless of whether or not they were Muslim, Christian, or animistic. Procession The Graveyard Tributes The event usually starts at around 7 AM, in which the people would gather in the graveyards in Taman Gagak to pay tribute to the deceased with their own ways, such as praying, scattering flowers, or tending to the grave. At around 8 AM, the people will form a long line at the entrance of the cemetery while holding hands with family members, friends, and loved ones, and they will march across the graveyard while contemplating about the deceased. The march will usually be led by the head of the village and the clerics of the village, followed by the families. The Gandengan Exiting the graveyard, the line will walk along a path that leads up to the woods where Ki Buyut Sari used to meditate (the rock known as Batu Sari), lined with trees that have been the host of gandengan bottles for centuries. Once they have arrived, the head of the village or the clerics will usually start with a short speech, and afterwards, the people hang the bottles with the messages inside them on the branches of the trees, tied with braided ropes. Traditionally, earthenware bottles are used, and some of these bottles are often painted or written on by the relations of the deceased, though some use glass and plastic bottles with lids. The traditional bottles will usually come with a stone lid, so as to not allow damage to the message paper. The bottles can be hung by the people themselves or they can enlist the services of volunteers who will climb the trees to hang them. The Aftermath After this is done, the people are generally encouraged to go home soon after hanging the bottles so as to minimise wandering in the sacred grounds. Usually, the clerics and the volunteers will stay behind, making sure that everyone has returned. The people are then advised to be merry at home to celebrate life by spending time with those who are still living. Category:Events